Scientists believe they have discovered the area of the brain that influences our ability to learn new things as we start to get older.
The study, which appeared in the academic journal Cell, used mice to examine the circuit of the brain that’s important for making decisions that require an evaluation of cost and reward.
In the experiment, mice were repeatedly played two different tones, one accompanied by a reward (sugar water), the other by a mild adverse stimulus (bright light).
The idea was they would eventually react to the tone that prompted a reward.
Interestingly, researchers found the older mice were less likely to engage in this cost-benefit analysis, suggesting they weren’t learning quite as eagerly as their younger counterparts.
But is it a case of ‘you can’t teach an old mouse new tricks’?
Not necessarily.
Stimulating the brain kept the mice interested
Researchers also tried stimulating the brain circuit involved in this decision-making process, and they found after this the mice were generally more engaged with the task.
We’re probably quite a way from seeing this sort of thing in humans, but it does have some interesting possibilities according to the study’s lead author, Professor Alexander Friedman.
“If you could pinpoint (in humans) a mechanism which is underlying the subjective evaluation of reward and cost, and use a modern technique that could manipulate it, either psychiatrically or with biofeedback, patients may be able to activate their circuits correctly,” he says.
In short, you may be able to ‘re-activate’ your motivation – whatever your age.
Good to know!
